06/10/2026
Absolutely tragic, our thoughts are with this young lady’s family and friends during this difficult time.
Please read the full post below, very well said by our buddy Dave.
The south florida diving community just suffered a tragic loss. These posts are hard to write, but we also need answers. Kellie Melinda Williams, a 31-year-old member of the local dive community, was found dead after washing ashore on Hollywood Beach. According to FWC, preliminary findings show her injuries were consistent with a vessel strike. Police say she appeared to have been snorkeling or diving earlier that day near Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park.
That is an awful paragraph to write, because anyone who dives South Florida (or anywhere, really) knows how easily this could be someone we know. A friend. A dive buddy. A spouse. A daughter. Someone who went into the water to do something she loved and never came home.
We do not know every detail yet, and the investigation is still ongoing. But we do know this much: the ocean does not forgive mistakes, and neither does careless boat traffic.
So let this be a reminder to every diver, snorkeler, spearfisherman, and boater reading this: do not dive alone. Have a buddy. Have a plan. Use a proper dive flag. Stay near it. Make yourself as visible as possible. Pay attention to current, distance, boat lanes, inlets, and changing conditions. Do everything you can control.
And boaters need to understand that a dive flag is not a suggestion. It means there are human beings in the water. Slow down. Give it room. Keep your head on a swivel. In Florida, boaters are supposed to stay at least 300 feet from a divers-down flag in open water and 100 feet in rivers, inlets, or channels, and if you are closer than that, you need to be at idle speed.
But this is also the hard part: even when divers do everything right, that does not mean everyone else will. You can follow the rules and still be put in danger by someone who is distracted, careless, speeding, or simply not paying attention.
That is why safe diving is not just a diver issue. It is a boating issue. It is a community issue. Everyone on the water has a responsibility to look out for everyone else.
Our hearts break for Kellie’s family, friends, coworkers, and everyone in the South Florida dive community who is feeling this loss right now.
FWC and Hollywood Police are asking anyone who saw anything or has information about this incident to come forward. Tips can be made anonymously through the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922). You can also contact Hollywood Police at 954-764-4357.
If you know something, say something. Her family deserves answers.
